Fertilizers
applies the Arbok-Repeel acid agent to the crisis created by the EU neonicotinoid ban: removing the bee-killing seed treatment brought back the aphid (Myzus persicae) and with it beet yellows viruses (BYV/BMYV), and fields began yellowing.
Technology brief
applies the Arbok-Repeel acid agent to the crisis created by the EU neonicotinoid ban: removing the bee-killing seed treatment brought back the aphid (Myzus persicae) and with it beet yellows viruses (BYV/BMYV), and fields began yellowing.
The challenge
Area-wide repellent spraying in aphid-flight season, priority on young seedlings (the early protection that previously relied on neonicotinoid seed treatment); EU/Russia/US sugar-beet belts.
Users: sugar-beet growers, sugar industry, agricultural agencies seeking a neonicotinoid alternative.
ARBOK solution
ARBOK-Sugar-Beet-Yellowing applies the Arbok-Repeel acid agent to the crisis created by the EU neonicotinoid ban: removing the bee-killing seed treatment brought back the aphid (Myzus persicae) and with it beet yellows viruses (BYV/BMYV), and fields began yellowing. Repeel repels the same aphid the neonicotinoids targeted — but without harming bees, removing the very reason for the ban. Sugar loss in bad years reaches 30–50 %; Repeel treatment is ~€40–90/ha per pass.
The Repeel acid mist makes aphids avoid landing and probing leaves, so they cannot transmit the yellows viruses — addressing the same vector as neonicotinoids but pollinator-safe. Acids neutralize in soil to water and safe compounds.
Limitations: virus not cured — value via vector pressure reduction; early-seedling protection timing is key (neonics protected at emergence); sugar-beet-specific field validation pending.
Market and application
Sugar beet supplies ~20 % of world sugar. The neonicotinoid ban (2018; emergency exemptions closed by the EU court in 2023) left no replacement: blanket spraying also kills bees and aphids resist it. France's 2020 outbreak cost the sector hundreds of millions of euros; Germany, Poland, UK, Russia, and the US face the same. A pollinator-safe vector repellent directly fills this gap.
Sugar loss of 30–50 % equals €600–1750/ha forgone revenue; repellent ~€40–90/ha per pass — season protection costs a fraction of the loss and avoids reviving the bee problem. Agent feedstock negative-cost phosphate waste.
Use cases
Area-wide repellent spraying in aphid-flight season, priority on young seedlings (the early protection that previously relied on neonicotinoid seed treatment); EU/Russia/US sugar-beet belts.
Users: sugar-beet growers, sugar industry, agricultural agencies seeking a neonicotinoid alternative.
Area-wide repellent spraying timed to aphid flight, prioritizing young seedlings; field sprayers or drones. Remaining: sugar-beet-specific field validation and protocol standardization.
Application of Arbok-Repeel; drop-in for existing sprayer/drone fleets; fits IPM as a neonicotinoid replacement; sibling to other Repeel crop cards.
ARBOK-Sugar-Beet-Yellowing applies the Arbok-Repeel acid agent to the crisis created by the EU neonicotinoid ban: removing the bee-killing seed treatment brought back the aphid (Myzus persicae) and with it beet yellows viruses (BYV/BMYV), and fields began yellowing. Repeel repels the same aphid the neonicotinoids targeted — but without harming bees, removing the very reason for the ban. Sugar loss in bad years reaches 30–50 %; Repeel treatment is ~€40–90/ha per pass.
Area-wide repellent spraying in aphid-flight season, priority on young seedlings (the early protection that previously relied on neonicotinoid seed treatment); EU/Russia/US sugar-beet belts.
Users: sugar-beet growers, sugar industry, agricultural agencies seeking a neonicotinoid alternative.
The Repeel acid mist makes aphids avoid landing and probing leaves, so they cannot transmit the yellows viruses — addressing the same vector as neonicotinoids but pollinator-safe. Acids neutralize in soil to water and safe compounds.
Limitations: virus not cured — value via vector pressure reduction; early-seedling protection timing is key (neonics protected at emergence); sugar-beet-specific field validation pending.
Agent: Arbok-Repeel acid solution from phosphate waste (>6 billion t globally). Action: aphids avoid landing; pollinator-safe; soil-neutralizing. Application: area-wide repellent spray in aphid-flight season, priority young seedlings. Cost: ~€40–90/ha per pass; sugar loss avoided €600–1750/ha. Platform production (Arbok-VC): deep vacuum, ambient temperature, 2–4 kWh/t feed, zero effluent.
Repeel concentrate (Arbok-VC) undergoes dilution and dosing before application via field sprayer or drone; supported by aphid-flight monitoring, seedling-stage targeting, and PPE/acid handling.
Technical: repels the aphid vector without the bee toxicity that got neonicotinoids banned; no resistance buildup. Economic: ~€40–90/ha per pass vs €600–1750/ha lost sugar revenue. Environmental: pollinator-safe — resolves the bee-vs-yield trap; soil-buffered; phosphate-waste origin.
Application of Arbok-Repeel; drop-in for existing sprayer/drone fleets; fits IPM as a neonicotinoid replacement; sibling to other Repeel crop cards.
Area-wide repellent spraying timed to aphid flight, prioritizing young seedlings; field sprayers or drones. Remaining: sugar-beet-specific field validation and protocol standardization.
TRL 5 (confirmed by Michael). Validated in relevant environment at the agent level (Repeel proven on related aphid/chitin pests), with sugar-beet-specific field validation pending.
TRL scale:
Sugar beet supplies ~20 % of world sugar. The neonicotinoid ban (2018; emergency exemptions closed by the EU court in 2023) left no replacement: blanket spraying also kills bees and aphids resist it. France's 2020 outbreak cost the sector hundreds of millions of euros; Germany, Poland, UK, Russia, and the US face the same. A pollinator-safe vector repellent directly fills this gap.
Sugar loss of 30–50 % equals €600–1750/ha forgone revenue; repellent ~€40–90/ha per pass — season protection costs a fraction of the loss and avoids reviving the bee problem. Agent feedstock negative-cost phosphate waste.
Virus not cured — depends on timely vector reduction, especially at seedling stage. Sugar-beet field efficacy needs validation. Aphid displacement without area-wide use. Regulatory registration as a crop-protection product. Acid handling/PPE.
Arbok-Repeel · ARBOK-Potato · ARBOK-Stone-Fruit-Sharka · ARBOK-Cucurbits-Triple-Strike
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